Police have concerns about the safety of cyclists and motorists after changes to the Upper Harbour Drive cycleway. Photo / Michael Craig
Police have concerns about the safety of cyclists and motorists after changes to the Upper Harbour Drive cycleway. Photo / Michael Craig
A roading police officer has serious concerns about the safety of one of Auckland Transport's latest cycleway projects.
His concerns have been backed up by a competitive road cyclist who had a nasty accident on the cycleway and broke a collarbone.
AT is under fire after installing concrete barriers onan existing cycleway at Upper Harbour Drive to separate cyclists from motorists, leading to a petition signed by nearly 1500 local Greenhithe residents.
The roading policing supervisor for the North Shore, Senior Sergeant Warwick Stainton, said the barriers do not appear "conducive to road safety when taking into consideration motorists' safety and cyclists' safety".
The new concrete barriers have narrowed the road on Upper Harbour Drive. Photo / Michael Craig
• Plant material builds up, making the road surface undesirable for cyclists.
• The barriers prevent cyclists riding two abreast, so they use the road instead.
• The barriers prevent vehicles from easily and safely getting in and out of driveways.
"From a policing perspective, we are also not in favour of the barriers as it makes carrying out enforcement on the road very difficult.
"We no longer have the ability to execute U-turns or manoeuvres to stop speeding drivers and there is nowhere to stop motorists without blocking the road.
"Furthermore, running speed traps or checkpoints is impossible as once again there is nowhere to pull vehicles over without blocking the road," said Stainton.
Stainton was unaware of any serious car versus motorists collisions on the stretch of Upper Harbour Drive that would have prompted the change.
A concrete barrier added to the existing cycleway on Upper Harbour Drive. Photo / Michael Craig
When Upper Harbour Drive resident Tracy Bass asked AT how many cycle accidents there had been on Upper Harbour Drive since 2017, a reply came back saying there had been one minor crash resulting in a minor injury to a cyclist in 2019.
In a statement, AT said it was aware about the safety concerns of the police over the concrete barriers but did not say if it agreed with them, saying only the two agencies had regular discussions around road safety.
Local residents say since the barriers were installed along a 3.7km stretch of Upper Harbour Drive in March, there have been two cycling accidents and several incidents of cars hitting the barriers and their tyres blowing out.
A competitive road cyclist, who did not want to be named, said he has ridden on Upper Harbour Drive 550 times in the past 10 years, saying it was an "awesome road for cyclists" with a wide, smooth and fast road surface and little traffic.
"The road has gone from one extreme to the other," said the cyclist, who wanted to know what the business case was to justify the changes.
At 6.20am in the dark on March 31, the man was in a group with six other cyclists heading towards the North Shore travelling at 19km/h when all of a sudden he was on the road after hitting the first, unmarked concrete separator.
A vehicle with its two left-hand side tyres blown out after hitting a concrete barrier on the Upper Harbour Drive cycleway. Photo / Supplied
"I went over the handlebars and landed on the road. Luckily my six friends hauled me off the road because I couldn't and we waited for an ambulance and I found out my collarbone was fractured."
Last week, the man learned he is likely to need surgery, which could mean a plate and some bolts.
"I'm not in pain any more but it's very uncomfortable. It's impacted my quality of life. I've got two toddlers and can't do things I like to do with them and I can't exercise," he said.
The cyclist supports AT's efforts to promote cycling and protect cyclists, but said the concrete barriers are completely unnecessary and wants them removed.
"I know cyclists who refuse to use them because they are covered in debris. The margin of error is narrow. You make a mistake, you are gone," he said.
Greenhithe resident Sam Joyce started a petition to remove the concrete barriers after narrowly avoiding a head-on crash with a car which saw the barriers and crossed over the centre line, leading to her slowing down in time for the motorist to correct their car.
She said people cannot understand why concrete barriers were installed, saying countries like Australia and the UK have better and cheaper solutions, such as low, injection-moulded plastic barriers that still give separation but allow vehicles to go over if there is an emergency.
The petition started by Sam Joyce has nearly 1500 signatures. Photo / Michael Craig
Last month, AT did not attend a public meeting in Greenhithe where many residents called for the concrete barriers to be removed.
"Residents are not being met with any sort of understanding or openness. It's like 'we have committed to this project, we have already installed it, we can't be bothered with having to change direction'," Joyce said.
The Labour MP for Upper Harbour, Vanushi Walters, wrote to AT this month to highlight the concerns of locals and suggested AT attend a community forum to discuss the matter, which they have agreed to. No date has been set for the forum, her office said.
Local councillors John Watson and Wayne Walker and a member of the Upper Harbour Local Board, Uzra Casuri Balouch, have also got involved.
Watson said it's a perverse outcome that after spending $1.7 million on the safety improvements, the road is now less safe for cyclists and motorists.
AT said the Upper Harbour Drive project is part of a programme of minor improvements to the cycle network to separate existing painted cycleways at 60 sites across the city.
Rubbish bins and plant debris in the Upper Harbour Drive cycleway. Photo / Suplied
Upper Harbour Drive is the first project, which finds AT in strife again with angry residents over an unpopular decision. It has the hallmarks of a battle over the loss of car parks at St Heliers in 2019 when chief executive Shane Ellison was a no-show at a public meeting.
This time, AT said it was not officially invited to the public meeting in Greenhithe and is working with the community, police and local board to address concerns about visibility and safety before installing more separators along the route.
This includes painting separators with high-visibility paint, improved signage and reducing the speed limit from 70km/h to 60km/h.
"The separation of existing on-road cycle lanes is to protect vulnerable road users on the network and encourage more people to cycle, especially as these lanes connect to the North Western Cycleway," the statement said.
